The Other Half
by HopelessWanderer95
Summary: The history books say that each person is only one half of a whole. At the dawn of time, humanity walked around with two heads, two hearts, and two very distinct personalities. It was when humans rebelled and angered the gods that they were separated from their other half, their punishment: to walk the Earth their entire lives, searching for completeness.
1. I

The history books say that each person is only one half of a whole. At the dawn of time, humanity walked around with two heads, two hearts, and two very distinct personalities. It was when humans rebelled and angered the gods that they were separated from their other half, their punishment: to walk the Earth their entire lives, searching for completeness.

It was in the late nineteenth century that technology progressed enough to aid humanity in their search. A bracelet was created that was given to a child at the age of five. Worn everyday, the bracelet was a thin band of silver metal with a small analogue clock which was forever stopped at the time they were to become whole again. When the time came for a person to meet their other half, the bracelet would gradually warm until it became scolding hot before dropping to the ground when a person had finally met the love of their life.

* * *

From the day she received the bracelet wrapped in a tiny golden box from her parents, Caroline Forbes had loved it. At the young age of five, she saw it as her path to becoming an adult. Her mother laughed and her daughter's innocence when she heard this idea. The young girl had notions of a prince coming to take her away, to begin a life of love and adventure.

As she grew up, this idea never left Caroline. She waited, each day, for 1:26 to arrive, hoping a beautiful man would break through the door and confess undying love for her. During many sleepovers growing up, she and her friends would make up stories of these events after watching too many romantic films.

When her parents would fight, Caroline would sit in a corner of her bedroom and stare at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until her saving grace arrived. He never did.

When she struggled in school or fell victim to the taunts of her peers, she would wait. At 1:27 every day she would feel her stomach drop as she new her man would not find her today, not tell her that he loved her no matter what anyone else called her, no matter how anyone else made her feel as they picked at any insecurity she had.

The day of her father's death, Caroline prayed for 1:26, hoping against all hope that someone would come and fill the hole in her heart left by the passing of her favorite parent. It was that day that Caroline Forbes made a promise quietly to herself as she sat in the corner of her room as she did as a child.

No more would she sit at wait for someone to rescue her, she would not let her heart break every day that she did not meet the man who was supposed to change everything about her world. She decided that she did not need anyone at all, when the day finally came that her bracelet fell to the ground and she looked into the eyes she waited for for so long, she would kindly let him know that he was no longer needed and thank him for his time.

* * *

Caroline was nineteen when she died. Driving home after a late night of drinking with Stefan in his basement when she collided head first into a tree. The ambulance came but it was too late, the coroner said the young girl died on impact and she was taken to the morgue where she lay until a familiar face arrived.

Caroline knew of her friend's anomaly, she often joked of his "vampiric tendencies". Earlier that night, as Stefan poured Caroline another shot she denied it, saying there was something else she wanted to try, she wanted to know "what all the hype was about".

With his inhibitions low, Stefan punctured his wrist and filled another shot glass for her and carefully slid it over to her as he watched her reaction to the warm, red liquid.

Staring down at it, Caroline wondered if this was really what she sought. Did she really want to trick her friend? She knew exactly what she was doing and that she did not plan to survive her trip home that night. Her life was at a standstill; she had not had the grades to go to university and these nights with Stefan were the only thing she enjoyed anymore.

She could not lie to her friend like this, she would need him to show her how to live her new life. She did not have it in her to live an eternity without the only friend she could trust.

"Stefan," she whispered, still staring at the glass in front of her, "I can't do this without you knowing." He looked at her strangely but waited for her to go on.

"I… I want to be like you." She continued, "I have nothing left for me in this life. My mother does not talk to me and I have no prospects for the future, I don't plan on making it home tonight but you have a choice as to how long I live."

He looked at her for a long moment. He had watched his friend struggle for a few years now. Since the death of her father she had never been the same bubbly girl he loved. He also thought about the future, he thought about having to outlive his best friend, having to watch her grow old and to leave her behind like he did many before. That is not what he wanted for Caroline.

He reached forward and slid the small glass even closer to her, giving her a soft smile as he ignored the voice yelling inside him to stop. He was not doing it for her. If she knew the monster he really was he knew she would not ask what she was asking. He was being completely selfish, his own bracelet fell off a century beforehand and he had no hope of ever seeing his love again. He could not stand the thought of being alone.

* * *

That had been almost forty years ago. Caroline thought back on the strangeness of it all with some nostalgia. She remembered Stefan bringing her a bag of donated blood, the mother she barely knew crying over her body, being place in the ground in a claustrophobic little box in the ground a few days later, Stefan digging her out later that night.

They had decided to leave Mystic Fall, they could not risk her being recognized, the town was too small for her to live safely. Amsterdam. Stefan had let her choose and it was the city she longed for most in the world. She wanted to spend lazy days in the sun traveling through the canals eating food that make her thankful for the fast vampire metabolism.

They lived there for almost half a century as Stefan taught Caroline how to live as a monster. Caroline rarely even looked at the band around her wrist anymore. She assumed that since she had technically died in that car, so did any chance of finding her other half.

She felt a little guilty that her decisions also meant that there was some lonely, human man out there that never found his love. She wondered if this was a feeling she would struggle with for the rest of eternity.

Stefan and Caroline walked through the people lining streets of the Red Light district. It was well past midnight but the later they came, the more fun it seemed to be. They walked past the women in the windows without even looking. They had seen it all before, this was, instead, where the two came to talk. People here were more interested in their own carnal needs that the strange conversations they heard around them.

"We have a problem, Care." Stefan had been on edge all night. Caroline waited patiently for him to finish; she had known something was up when he asked her to walk with him. "We're not alone in the city anymore. Another group of vampires have arrived."

Caroline did not know why this was a problem. In forty years, they had come across many groups making their way through the city. Some were friendlier than others. She voiced this thought to her companion, surely more vampires should not be that big of a problem.

Stefan sighed, "These are different. They are the originals, as in the original vampires, the most deadly beasts in the world. I have run into them before." He grabbed her arm and made her stop walking and look at him. He held up his braceletless arm and she understood instantly.

In all this confusion, Caroline did not notice the heat building up around her own wrist until it was too late and they heard a voice from behind them calling out to them.

"Telling stories about us now, old friend?" Caroline turned to see the tall man who had addressed them. He had with him three other vampires but Caroline did not notice them as she stared at the man.

Her brain was on overload as her wrist began to burn but she could not take her eyes off the man who had spoken. He was quite likely the most beautiful man she had ever seen. With short curly hair and high cheekbones, she could look at him forever. The man was staring at his own bracelet, attempting to comprehend the pain that he too had just began to feel.

It was then that he looked up at her for the first time and met Caroline's eyes. His were filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred and anger. Caroline barely heard her own bracelet fall to the ground as the man walked towards her.


	2. II

The man in question stopped six inches from Caroline's face, he seemed to be assessing her but the anger was still very much there. It was at this point that Caroline brought her wrist up for examination; she looked at the tan line that now exposed a ring of skin she had not seen since her fifth birthday.

As her mind began to process exactly what was happening, she silently looked into the eyes of the man who stood before her, Stefan and the others looked on in muteness, waiting for either of the two to make a move.

Caroline cocked her head to the side and continued to look into his eyes. She tried to imagine this man as the one she had dreamed about for so long in her youth. She tried to imagine him coming to her when her parents fought or holding her at her father's funeral. She attempted to picture him in all the situations she had imagined with her friends. She could not.

All she could picture was the pair of angry eyes staring at her with more hatred then was understandable. It was then that she felt a pang of sadness for the nonexistent human she had believed she left behind.

In her imagination, that man had been soft and loving but the man in front of her was all right angles and wrath. She thought back to the promise she had made to herself, she did not need him in her life. The mystery was gone, she knew what he looked like but she felt no need to know even his name.

With a frown and a small shake of her head, Caroline turned on her heels and began to walk back to the canal house she shared with Stefan. She assumed he would be home later; he had history with these people and deserved to talk to the blonde who she assumed was his other half. However, Caroline decided that these people would have nothing to do with her future.

She was a few yards away before the man sped in front of her. It looked as if the anger had faded only just a little and had been placed with true despair.

"Do I not get to at least know the name of the woman who has haunted me for a thousand years?" It was almost a whisper but Caroline knew that each one of the vampires in the vicinity heard him.

In the briefest of moments, Caroline felt a tightening in her chest. The saddened look on the man's face knocked the breath out of her and made her feel as if the only thing in the world she needed to do was hold this man in her arms and never let go.

However that was not the promise Caroline had made all those years ago and she had never been known to be so flexible as to go back on her word.

"No," she saw his face fall quickly before it was replaced again by anger "No, you may not and I am quite positive I am okay on my own."

With that, she walked away and was not again stopped.

* * *

It was not a long walk home, although nothing in the city was far with vampire speed. As she locked the door behind her, she called out.

"Bonnie? We need a heart to heart, pronto." As her friend walked down the steep stairs, Caroline smiled at her; glad to have someone removed from the drama to talk to.

Bonnie technically owned the canal house. As a witch, she had to invite any vampire into the house, Stefan and Caroline thought this would be the best security policy. It also allowed Caroline someone else to talk to as most of Stefan's problem solving included a bottle of something strong.

As the two girl walked to the kitchen to sit, Caroline told Bonnie what had happened earlier that evening.

"So, I wanna hear you explain exactly why you will not talk to your other half? Hell, if I found mine there would be no stopping me!" Bonnie always tried to make light of situations like this. Caroline appreciated it, she truly was her soundboard that helps sort through the crazy.

"I waited so long for him so long ago and when I let go of hope to find him, I think I also let go of any ability to love someone like that. I mean, it's been over forty years of no need for love and it's not exactly a switch I can flip on now that he has decided to show up."

"First of all, I think you are lying to yourself if you think you went forty years without a need for love, I don't think you or anyone else on this planet has gone a day like that. And second, it's not like he was avoiding you. You know that is not how the bracelet works, it just tells you when you will meet your other half, not how or where they are. He was waiting for you like you were for him."

Caroline hated when Bonnie pointed out she was being irrational, this was an often occurrence in the household. She pointed this out to her friend who laughed before continuing.

"So," she said, trying to lighten the tension that had built up in the room. "What do you think he meant by 'the woman who haunted him for a thousand years'?"

"I have no idea, I suppose this means I'll actually have to talk to him to find out." Caroline immediately became serious as she sat up in her chair and addressed her friend. "Bon, I have no idea who this guy is but Stefan says he is one of the most, if not the most, powerful creatures on this planet. Please, under no circumstance, invite him into our home. I will talk to him," Bonnie raised her eyebrows in sarcastic disbelief "no, I promise I will, I just feel that we will need a place that he can't enter, for our safety."

Bonnie understood and agreed, she knew that her friend could be in the presence of true evil as she tried to figure out her other half.

* * *

Stefan was taking the long way back to the house due to the pack of original vampires following him closely. He was ignoring Rebekah's attempts to get his attention but her brother, Klaus, had no intention of letting Stefan's attention stray so this was not a problem.

"So, where exactly did you pick her up? Did you turn her? For the love of God, what is her name?"

It had been like this the entire walk but Klaus gave no indication of stopping and so Stefan did. After bringing the entire group to a halt her turned to Klaus. "Listen, Caroline has gone through a lot and for a long time she imagined that her other half" he gestured to Klaus' bare wrist "would come and save her. Now you and I both know that the chances of you and her meeting when she needed you were slim due to the length of our lifetime but that does not mean she is not hurt. The illogical part of her believes that the one who was supposed to love her more that anything else in the world made the conscious choice to not be there in her hardest times."

Klaus thought about the tall girl with bouncing yellow hair and the bluest eyes before saying her name quietly to himself.

Stefan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, lucky you, you learned her name. Congratulations. Anyway, I am going to let you follow me home so you can talk to Caroline because I think, someday in the very distant future, you two could be very good for each other." Stefan stepped closer to Klaus so that their noses almost touched. "However, if you do anything to hurt her, and I mean even take her to a restaurant she does not like, I will hunt down a white oak stake and kill you myself. Understand?" Stefan turned to Rebekah "Then perhaps we would be even."

Klaus snarled at the threat against his life but followed Stefan as he went in the opposite direction. It was not long before they reached a canal house and Stefan opened the door and walked in.

The four vampires behind him were surprised when they could not enter. "Great," Kol, the youngest brother, rolled his eyes, "we get to deal with a human."


	3. III

Hearing the commotion in the front room, Caroline and Bonnie made their way to the door, each carrying a large glass of red wine. Despite her best intentions and willpower, Caroline could not look away from Klaus as he watched her enter the room.

He stared at her with such emotion that it made her uncomfortable but Caroline refused to back down, refused to let him win their little starting contest. It was not until Bonnie entered the room that the silence was broken.

Bonnie gasped as the band around her wrist began to heat up, in a moment of desperation she lifted her eyes from the bracelet to the vampire standing in front of her. The instant her eyes locked with Kol's, both bracelets fell to the ground, Bonnie looked horrified at what was unfolding before her.

Caroline, having connected all the dots despite the 6'4 distraction standing in front of her began to laugh. At first, it was a soft giggle but it was not long before it transformed into hysterical, boisterous laughs.

Each pair of eyes were trained on her as she continued to laugh, unable to calm herself down. Klaus was enamored. No matter how much he wanted to despise the girl standing in front of him, the hatred he felt for her for not finding him sooner, her laugh created a tightness in his chest. He allowed him self a small smile as she took a few deep breathes followed by a sip of her wine.

"Oh, Bonnie." Caroline looked at her friend and let out a final laugh. Bonnie could not tear her eyes away from the stunned man in front of her. "After all the shit you just gave me and now you are in a very similar boat. What was it you said about nothing stopping you if you found your person?" Caroline walked closer to her friend and pointed at Kol, "Well, here you go, he's right there."

She then began to laugh again; the toll the wine took on her was evident. Making her way to the stairs, she stopped in front of Stefan. "I bet you are so happy that you introduced us to your ex's family."

As she ascended the stairs was soft, velvety voice stopped her. "Wait, Caroline." She turned around to face him. Klaus cursed the threshold for not letting him pass. She waited patiently for him to speak again.

"I believe we may owe it to each other to sit down and have chat. Please," he turned to Bonnie who had to tear her eyes away from his brother "please, invite me in."

Caroline answered for her friend, "She will not be doing that. You'll have to forgive us for wanting some sanctuary from the most powerful creatures in the world. We need at least one safe area, judging on the stories I have heard about you and your siblings."

Klaus felt a knot in his stomach form and his anger begin to rise. He was not used to being denied what he wanted.

"However," Caroline continued, "you may meet me tomorrow at the café across the canal there." she pointed out the door and then looked down at her now empty wine glass. "I am afraid I am in no condition to talk to you tonight."

With that, Caroline turned around and continued to make her way up the stairs, refusing to stop as he continued to call after her.

* * *

Caroline would deny it vehemently if anyone accused her of spending a little more time curling her hair or choosing a dress the next day. It was not long before she had a new mantra: _this meeting means nothing, it will get his to leave me alone, this meeting means nothing. _

She ended up choosing a navy blue dress that fit like a glove. Just because she was convinced that this coffee date meant nothing did not mean that she could not do her best to break his heart if the event called for it.

It was exactly 1:26 when she arrived at the café. Klaus had watched her leave her house and make her way over the bridge the separated them. He watched as the wind tousled her hair, he fought every urge he had to make his way over to her and hold her tightly against him.

She should not have this effect on him; he had spent a thousand years attempting to make himself immune to her. Apparently, it had not worked. When she approached him, he stood and gave his best attempting at a welcoming smile, it would not do to scare her away, he decided finally.

Caroline watched him as he stood up and she made her way over. A small voice in her head pondered if he would continue to become more attractive each time they met. He wore dark jeans with a white V-neck top. His curly blond hair and stubble gave him the perfect disheveled look. She fought every urge inside her to lean into him.

Instead she gave him her most winning smile and stuck her hand out to shake his. "Caroline Forbes, nice to meet you."

He looked down at his outstretched hand but refused to take it. He sat back down and murmured his own greeting, "Niklaus Mikaelson".

* * *

They sat across from each other in silence, neither touching the coffee in front of them. Caroline was quickly becoming annoyed with him. He sat there and stared at her with a small smirk on his face, the mirth he felt was insurmountable.

"You need to stop looking at me like that." Caroline met his gaze and held it, this was the second time she refused to be the first to look away.

"Like what, sweetheart?" She rolled her eyes at the pet name, hadn't she only met this man yesterday?

"Like you are going to eat me or something." Her annoyance was evident but he ignored it.

"Maybe I will, love." She picked up her now cold coffee and took a sip, if only for the excuse of a distraction and something to do with her hands. She looked out past the canal and ignored the man across from her who refused to look away.

She heard a clink against the metal table as he placed something in front of her. She looked down to see the bracelet she was so familiar with. She assumed he had picked hers up that night until, upon closer inspection, she realized it was not hers, it was much too large to fit snuggly around her wrist as hers once had.

"As you are probably aware, it is custom when one finds their other half to exchange bracelets as a sort of memento, a keepsake." He smiled at her as she looked at the band in front of her. "I have yours, I thought this would only be fair."

Her head snapped up and she met is stare. "I have a question for you." She refused to acknowledge his gift, as it was too personal. He sat back in his chair and made a motion with his hands for her to proceed.

"What did you mean when you said that I had been haunting you for a thousand years? That is not possible."

He sighed and looked away from her for the first time since she sat down. "My mother," he began "was not a good woman. She was a powerful witch, the first of her kind and she used her powers against her own children. After we transitioned, she realized that she had turned her own children into monsters. It was before she died that she cursed me."

He remained quiet for a moment, but Caroline waited patiently for him to continue. "My curse was to see you in every aspect of my life, the women I could not have followed me for a thousand years. I saw you in the humans around me, in the eyes of each person I killed. The worst was seeing you in my dreams, you were so close that I could reach out and touch you but you would disappear. I was forever chasing you."

He then sat up and made a move as if to touch her face but he stopped himself and set his hand on the table in front of him. "When I saw you last night. I assumed you were just another figment of my imagination. The most realistic one yet, yes, but I did not think you could be real. You did not exactly help your case when you refused to even speak to me." He smiled at her but she could tell the hurt he had felt.

"I have spent a thousand years searching for you, to hear you laugh and just to be in your presence." His voice was barely above a whisper. Caroline felt as if her whole body was being willed towards him. She reached out and softly stroked the knuckles of the hand resting on the table. It was the first time they had touched. The weight of the moment was not lost on either of them.

He stared at where she had touched in disbelief. It was then that she felt the discussion had taken too heavy a turn for her own liking. She leaned back in her chair and smiled at him warmly.

"So," she began, attempting desperately to change the subject. "Your brother and my witch." The single, loud laugh he let out gained the attention of many of the other patrons around them but she only one to see the smile on his face.


	4. IV

"Why are Stefan and Rebekah not together if they are obviously each other's other half?" Caroline and Klaus had left the café and had begun to walk the city streets side by side. He glanced at her with a smirk on his face in response to her question. "Hey!" she continued "There is no way in hell Stefan will tell me so you're going to have to fill in some blanks here and help me out."

The smirk had left Klaus' face as he looked at the ground in front of him. They continued to walk in silence until his thoughts were collected. "They had met in a dance club back in the 1920's. It was instantaneous love. They barely needed the bracelets.

"So all of my brothers and myself got to know Stefan. He became one of my best friends and confidants. I could not have been more thrilled that he would become part of our family.

"It was all fine and dandy until Damon, Stefan's brother, came into town. After decades apart, Damon and Stefan were attempting to mend their relationship, however, Damon and my lovely sister never got along. None of us really enjoyed Damon's company but we put up with him for Stefan's sake.

"In the last of a long sting of arguments between Damon and Rebekah, they asked Stefan to pick between the two of them: his brother or his soul mate. That was the first time I had ever seen Stefan so enraged. He demanded, out of nowhere, that if he had to pick, so did she. She would have to leave us if she wanted to be with Stefan.

"Stefan eventually choose Rebekah but she could not do the same. You see, love, our family has a long-standing tradition of family over anyone else. Stefan left later that night. Yesterday in the district was the first time any of us has seen him since. He blamed my sister for his estrangement from Damon.

"That day, Rebekah changed. She became incessantly needy and controlling. That day I lost not only my best friend but also my real sister. Now she is only a shell of the woman she once was."

It had become dusk as Klaus ended his story. He had not looked up at Caroline since she asked the question. Still walking, she hesitated before sliding her arm through the crook in harm and pulling herself closer to him. He stopped walking instantaneously and turned to look at her. They were only inches apart.

He slowly lifted his hand and placed it against her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. A familiar feeling took over her. She could feel it in her bones. It was like a fog overtook her, she could not think clearly.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, he gave her a small smile and they walked on. It was not until they had made it back to the canal house that they spoke again. This time, it was a happier note.

Klaus laughed. He had seen it before she had. Kol was sitting on the bench across the street, facing the house, staring at the dark building. "She will not even come out." Kol deadpanned, not taking his eyes off the canal house.

Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, Klaus smiled. "Come on, mate, you'll just have to learn to woo your lady friend."

Caroline smiled and walked up to the door, Klaus followed close behind her but was held back as she crossed the threshold. She turned and smiled him softly. "I'm sorry, Klaus, but rules are rules."

And the door was shut.

* * *

**So, I know it is really short but I wanted to get something out. There was some more background knowledge I wanted to get out. I know this story has been a lot of background information but I have big plans for later, everything just needs to be set up.**

**I am feelings a little uninspired by both my stories at the moment so hopefully that turns around soon. Some kind words might help... :)**


	5. V

"So, let me get this straight," Stefan was standing in the corner of the kitchen. Caroline was sitting on the counter top and Bonnie sat at the island. In the center of their triangle was a half empty bottle of wine. "You want us, you, me, and Bonnie, to go out to dinner with the original family?"

Giving Stefan her best Ms. Mystic smile, Caroline nodded. "You have no choice." She swirled the red liquid in her over sized glass before taking a sip. "Both of you need to get your heads out of your respective asses. They are your other half; this is not something you get to choose. They are yours, you are theirs."

"Caroline Forbes. You went on one coffee date with Klaus and now you think you are the grand master of the other halfs?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow and stared Caroline down.

Caroline only smiled and jumped off the counter. "Reservation is at seven. Wear something classy."

* * *

With each arm interlaced with her friends, Caroline dragged the two into the restaurant, her silky green dress flowing behind them.

She quickly spotted the family at a round table in the corner of the space; it seemed more private than the rest of the busy restaurant.

Klaus stood as the trio entered the room. Kol followed but ended up looking clumsy next to his gallant brother. Rebekah continued to sit; she took a small sip from her glass of water, refusing to look at the new arrivals.

Niklaus raised an eyebrow as he watched the young blond tote her friends behind her. He felt a swell of jealously boil up inside him. He knew he had nothing to fear from Stefan. The bracelets proved it; Stefan had once been like a brother to him. However, no amount of logic could quell the feeling spurred on by watching Caroline on the arm of another man.

"You think they were going to come willing?" Klaus smiled at her quip and pulled a seat out for her. She held up a finger to tell him to wait before walking Bonnie to the seat next to Kol. Turning around, she faced Sefan's back. With a hand on each of his shoulders, she pushed him to the seat next to the blonde who had still yet to look at him. Sitting him down, Caroline pointed at him with ferocity in her eyes as if to warn him against fucking around.

She straightened her back and stood up before she smiled at the table, looking over her handiwork before sitting in the out pulled chair. Holding up a hand, Caroline called the waiter over. "We are going to need a very good, very strong bottle of white wine. Use your own digression." The man nodded and walked away.

She then turned and looked at the man sitting next to her. Caroline smiled her first genuine smile of the night. She was surprised that she was actually pleased to see him. He looked at her warmly and for a split second she wished they were the only ones at the table.

He placed his hand on top of hers, both of them now resting on the table. Caroline was becoming used to the feeling that overcame her whenever he touched her. It had to be love. She had never been in love before so she had nothing to compare it to but it kind of sounded like what all the heroines in her movies went through. Right?

The thought of Klaus no longer repulsed her as it had the first day they had met. She was beginning to understand him and where he came from. She was starting to like having him around and it scared her how quickly it was happening.

Over come with the feeling of his presence, she slipped her hand out from under his and used it to tuck a tuft of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him through her eyelashes; he did not look upset at the sudden lack of contact. He simply looked at her with what could best be described as idolization.

Noticing the four sets of eyes focused on them, Caroline blushed. "So, Rebekah, I don't think we were ever officially introduced."

The other blonde at the table looked at her with distain and hummed in agreement. "Yes, isn't that a shame but I don't make it a habit to meet each of Klaus' conquests."

Klaus gritted his teeth and growled almost inaudibly at his sister. "Bekah, mind yourself."

Kol cleared his throat and the table turned to look at him. "I… I bought something for Bonnie." The witch rolled her eyes as Kol riffled through his coat pocket, pulling out a wallet and a few old receipts before a long thin velvet box. Bonnie stared down at the innocent maroon rectangle on the table without moving.

After a moment, Kol become impatient and opened the box himself and turned it towards her. Caroline saw Bonnie's eyes widen as she looked inside. She proceeded to pull out a thin gold chain; attached to it was a large teardrop stone, dark green in color.

Kol scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I've had it for a few centuries. It was a token from one of the most powerful witches I have ever met. It has a protection spell on it. I thought that you might like it."

"It's beautiful." It was all Bonnie said but Kol smiled from eat to ear. This was the first time Bonnie showed anything other than malice towards Klaus' younger brother.

"I thought," he continued "That until you are transformed into one of us," he looked around at everyone else at the table with excitement in his eyes, "that you could use some protection."

Bonnie dropped the necklace on the table as if it had burned her. "What?" The anger was back in her eyes; Caroline sat up in her chair, ready to step in. Klaus placed a hand on her thigh to keep her in her seat. She instantly felt the fog overtake her.

Kol then began to back track. "I mean you will change right? You can't expect me to let my other half die someday. That's just not fair! I have made enemies in a thousand years. You are who they would go for first."

Without saying a word, Bonnie stood and left the table. "Not exactly what I meant by wooing, little brother." There was no humor in Klaus' voice; he seemed incredibly saddened by his bother inability to connect with his other half.

Klaus had barley finished his sentence before Klaus was out the door, following Bonnie, necklace in hand. There were a few more awkward moments before Rebekah stood, sneered at Caroline and left the restaurant. Neither Caroline nor Klaus were surprised when Stefan followed suit.

The two who remained sat in a comfortable silence before Caroline broke out it one of her now frequent fits of laughter. Klaus waited patiently, nothing but adoration in his eyes. A part of him never wanted her to stop laughing. When she laughed, he could feel a weight in his heart lift and he almost felt as if he stood taller.

"That," she began as she caught her breath, "was the worst excuse for a dinner party I have ever seen! Kol was so close before he shot himself in the foot and Rebekah and Stefan did not even speak! I give up. I tried but they are all hopeless."

Klaus reached out and tucked a blond tuft behind her ear. "They do not realize how good of a friend you are, most people would not have tried as hard as you had. You are incredible, Caroline Forbes."

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, man, it was just dinner. You should have seen the events I would put on back when I was still human!"

Smiling Klaus stood and put out his arm for Caroline to take. "Come on, love, we should get you home. I hear there are monsters in these parts."

* * *

**A nice, longer chapter to say thank you for all the kind words I received last time. Hearing from you guys helps me out of ruts so feel free to keep it up! I've got big plans for this story, I'm just trying to figure out how to get there, at the moment. **


	6. VI

Days past. Caroline continued to get to know Klaus (although he was still not invited into the house), Stephan refused to be in the same room as Rebekah, and Kol sat on the bench outside the house waiting for any sign of Bonnie. At one point, he had even tried to convince Caroline to secretly feed Bonnie her blood in case something were to happen. Caroline was a little ashamed that she had thought about it before saying no. It was against her friend's wishes but Bonnie was now forever connected to a dangerous family, whether she liked it or not.

Caroline was currently sitting in Klaus' living room; he was sitting across from her sketching in a little black book. She had snuck enough looks to know that chances were, he was drawing her. She was idly flipping through an old book, not really paying attention to any of the depictions inside. "What are you thinking, love?" Klaus did not even look up to ask the question; he did not need to. He was always so aware of her when she was around, he could tell when things were on the young vampires mind.

Snapping the book shut, she looked at him, listening to the pencil scratch along the paper before answering. "Why did you come to Amsterdam? Out of all the places in the world?"

"I could ask the same of you, Caroline." He looked up and smiled at her, she stared back patiently, waiting for him to answer. He sighed and closed his sketchbook before standing up and moving to sit with her on the loveseat. "We like to travel, over a thousand years, one is likely to visit a lot of places on a whim."

She knew he was lying. He knew that she knew. Raising an eyebrow skeptically, she continued to wait for him to proceed. "Why do you want to know? Are you so surprised that after so many years, our paths finally crossed? I mean, there were bound to eventually." He motioned to his wrist; the bracelet tine line had faded to almost nothing.

"There is something wrong and you are not telling me. I have a right to know." She crossed her arms stubbornly and Klaus smiled at the childish action.

"And why is that, my dear?" He was becoming a little irritated. It was rare that someone was so demanding of him, he was not accustomed to being questioned. It was not something he liked.

"For the same reason Kol gave Bonnie the bracelet, or why he wants to turn her, or why he watches our house day in and day out! There is something going on and I need to be able to protect myself, to protect my friends."

"Do you not trust me to take care of you? You really think I would let anything that had even the remotest chance of harming you come anywhere close to you?" He was offended, he was the most powerful being on the planet and she was questioning his ability to keep her safe. That was his number one priority.

"I trust you." She leaned closer to him, attempting to settle the anger she began to feel radiating off him. "I just do not appreciate being left in the dark. If I trust you, you need to trust me."

She was right and both of them knew it. Sighing with defeat, Klaus rubbed his face with both hands, suddenly looking much for tired. "There is a man here, his name is Marcel. There was once a time, long ago, when I considered him my closest friend. That was a long time ago. He is up to something and I know it cannot be good."

"Do you have any idea what it is?" This was more serious than she had originally thought, it sounded more dangerous than she was prepared for. "Can't you just talk to him? If you were once friends then maybe-"

"Caroline." He needed her to stop talking. She did not understand Marcel, what he could do. "There is no talking to Marcel. I believe that he is attempting to build some form of army by uniting groups from all over Europe. He'll have it all, witches, vampires, werewolves. He will become the most influential leader since… since ever really."

"What does he want?"

"Hell if I know. Revenge? Maybe he has a good old need to rule over everyone else." This had been keeping him up at night. He had initially meant to come to Holland, kill Marcel, then leave. None of the groups Marcel was connecting would even know that Klaus was behind it.

Then he met Caroline. This explained part of his anger when he had met her. After waiting a thousand years for her, she finally showed up at the last place he wanted to see her. He had become distracted with her and now his presence in Amsterdam was well known. He was waiting for Marcel to make an appearance. All of this put Caroline in danger. If something happened to her it would be the end of him, there was no coming back from loosing ones other half. He had seen it with Rebekah.

With no response, Caroline simply turned around and leaned her back into his chest. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her tighter. There was nothing else to say; they both knew the danger they were in.

* * *

It was later that evening, Caroline and Bonnie were walking to one of the local pubs. Kol had put up such an effort, attempting to convince them that he should come with, but the two had none of it. It was a girl's night. They had even left Stefan at home to fend for himself.

They were crossing a bridge and focusing on dodging the oncoming bicycles when it happened. It was so fast but Caroline caught every excruciating detail. She felt strong, unfamiliar arms wrap around her and pull her backwards. She watched as a tall man behind Bonnie reached for her friend's neck and snap it with ease. Her mind flashed back to the moment she decided she would not feed Bonnie blood. That decision had just killed her friend.

She could not dwell on this long as she felt cold hands around her own neck and the quick, sharp pain of it snapping.

* * *

**Drama. Drama. Drama. **

**Anyway, if you don't know, I am also working on another Klaroline story called ****_And I Awoke_****, so go check that out. And to all my Jane Austen friends out there: I am also working on a Pride and Prejudice story called ****_Fade_****. Let me know what you think of this chapter, lovlies! **


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